Albert f



(No Model.)

A. F. A. KING.

PENCIL SHARPENER.

No. 447,431. Patented Mar. 3, 1891.

4. f4 Av/va 5y kid ail'rize ys Ursa-ran STATES ATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT F. A. KING, OF \VASHINGTON, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA.

PENClL- SHARPENER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 447,431, dated March 3, 1891.

Application filed December 15, 1890. Serial No. 374,745. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

I 3e it known that I, ALBERT F. A. KING, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of lVashington city, in the District of Oolumbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pencil-Sharpeners, of which the following is a specification.

My invention more especially relates to pencil-Sharpeners of the class in which the knife travels lengthwise and obliquely to the axis of the pencil, as in the ordinary way of sharpening a pencil by hand.

The objects of my invention are to facilitate the operation of sharpening, a pencil such as a lead-pencil, slate-pencihor crayon, &c.-without soiling the fingers; to prevent the dispersion of chips and shavings and of particles of lead, chalk, slat-e, &c.; to deposit such dbris in a suitable receptacle, whence it maybe removed at convenience; to render the sharpening operation easy and agreeable by enabling the operator to alter the side or surface of the pencil being out without changing the position of either hand when the process of sharpening has once begun, and

finally to enable the operator at all times to inspect that portion of the pencil being sharpened. These obj ectsI attain bycertain novel constructions, combinations, and organizations of instrumentalities hereinafter claimed.

The accompanying drawings show allrny improvements as embodied in one structure. Some of them, however, may be used without the others and in apparatus differing somewhat in its details of construction from those herein shown. That end of the structure nearest the operator I term the front, the opposite the back. That part on the right of the operator facing the front I term the right side, the opposite the left. Unless otherwise specified the parts are of usual well-known construction.

Figure 1 represents an elevation of the left side of the apparatus with a sharpened pencil inserted therein; Fig. 2, a vertical longitudinal section therethrough on the line 2 2 of Figs. 3 and 5; Fig. 3, a rear elevation; Fig.

4, a view of the right side of the casing, showing the knife-slot; Fig. 5, a vertical transverse section on the line 5 5 of Figs. 2 and 4, and Fig. 6 a view of the movable dust-shield.

The darts show the direction in which the sections are seen. Figs. 7 and 8 show details of the pencil-tunnel.

A sharpening-chamber A is shown as constructed with the upper portion of its rear end and of its sides of transparent materialsuch as glassso as to admit light freely, and with its solid portions of a light color inside, so as freely to reflect the light. The top a of this chamber, also of transparent material, slopes downward from rear to front, and is hinged or otherwise made removable. The upper part of the front wall on which this top rests is deflected forward, as shown at a, to enable the operator to see the pencil more clearly while being sharpened. This sharpening-chamber is secured upon a base l3, shown as made in the form of a tray to enablethe operator to grasp it firmly, and as provided with a sliding drawer B.

The pencil is inserted through a tunnel A in the rear wall of the chamber, its point resting against a shoulder a in the front wall thereof. The caliber of this tunnel may be varied to suit pencils of different sizes by dividing it longitudinally and supporting one of its sections a on a set-screw a controlled by a nut A (See Figs. 7 and 8, which also show a tunnel rectangular in cross-section,instead of the circular form shown in the other figures.)

. The right-hand side of the chamber A is shown as constructed with a double Wall, through which a knife-slot O is cut. This slot is in the form of an irregular parallelogram, and extends from the front of the tunnel to the rear of the shoulder or abutment (0 its lower surface being slightly below the plane of the upper surface of the tunnel, and having an inclination from rear tofront approximating that desired to be given to the sharpened pencil. This slot and the pencil-tunnel constitute the only openings into the chamber when the top is closed. The tunnel is effectually closed by the pencil itself, while the slot is partially closed by the knife when in use; but it is desirable to usea slot wider than the knife, in order to allow it sufficient freedom of movement in all directions and'at the same time prevent the escape of shavings, 850., through the opening.

To prevent this I provide a thin septum or diaphragm C, preferably substantially semicircular in outline, and composed of metal, ivory, celluloid, rubber, or other material possessing suffieient hardness and weight, having a central perforation c, by which it may be suspended from a pivotpin 0 of much less size than the opening, which allows the septum or shield a certain degree of play endwise on the pin. A suitably-shaped notch or recess 0 in the edge of the shield receives the blade of the knife. The relation of the parts is such that the inner edge of this notch normally extends just within the knife-slot O, and the shield consequently keeps it closed, as it overlaps the knife-slot at both ends. hen, however, the knife is inserted into the notch and slot, the shield moves endwise and subsequently conforms to the movements of the knife in traw ersing the slot while sharpening the pencil by playing around its pivot in the various directions required, thus always keeping the knifeslot closed, with the exception of the portion occupied by the knife, without interfering with its freedom of movement.

\Vhile any ordinary knife may be employed with this apparatus, I prefer to use one having a rounded handle, adapted to lit and turn in the notch c in the shield, as such construction presents obvious advantages.

The device may be used while resting on a table, or may be held in the hands in the following manner: The pencil, when inserted in the chamber and grasped by the left hand of the operator, serves as a means of suspending or holding the apparatus, the projecting portion of the pencil being held lightly between the thumb and index-linger of the left hand, while the ends of the middle and ring fingers grasp the right side of the case, with the little finger and lower portion of the hand resting upon the periphery of the base or tray. The knife held by the right hand is then passed into the knife'slot through the notch in the shield, the thumb being placed under the curved projection to, the lower portion of which constitutes the thumb-rest, and the sharpening is then done by simply moving the knife backward and forward in the slot while the shield conforms to its movements, as above indicated. \Vhile held as above described the pencil may readily be turned by the thumb and finger of the left hand without releasing its grasp upon the chamber or without changing the relation of either hand to the apparatus.

Having thus fully described the construction, organization, and operation of my improved peneil-sharpener, what I claim therein as new, and as of my own invention, is-

1. A pencil holder or tunnel consisting of the combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a fixed longitudinal section, a set-screw, and another longitudinal section mounted thereon and movable laterally and parallelly relatively to the fixed section to vary the caliber of the tunnel to adapt it to pencils of different sizes.

2. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a pencil holder or tunnel, a chamber into which it projects,ashoulder or abutment in line with the tunnel against which the end of the pencil may rest, and a slot in the wall of the chamber-extending from the inner end of the tunnel to the abutment at an inclination to the axis of the tunnel, for the traverse of the knife.

3. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a sharpening-chamber, a tunnel projecting therein, a knife-slot in the side wall thereof intersecting the axial plane of the tunnel, and an inclined transparent top or cover.

4:. A pencil-sharpening chamber constructed, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, with transparent sides and top, a pencil holder or tunnel projecting into the chamber, a knife-slot intersecting a plane passing through the axis of the tunnel, and a rear projection of the chamber, constituting a thumb-rest.

5. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the parallel side walls, a septum or shield movable endwise therein, the pivot on which it is suspended, the opening around this pivot of a larger diameter, and the notch or recess in the septum for the reception of the knife.

0. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of the knife-slot and the endwisc-moving oscillating knife-shield closing said slot.

7. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a pencil-holder, a knifeslot, and a movable shield covering the slot.

8. The combination, substantially as hereinbefore set forth, of a sharpening-chamber, a pencil-holder projecting therein, a shoulder or abutment, a knife-slot between the pencilholder and abutment, and a movable shield closing the slot.

9. The movable shield provided with a peripheral notch or recess for the reception of the knife, substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

10. The improved pencilsharpenerhereinbefore described, consisting of the combination of the sharpening-chamber, its transparent sides and top and light-reflecting interior, a pencil holder or tunnel projecting therein, a knife-slot in one of its walls, and a freelymovable shield covering the slot and provided with a notch for the insertion ofa knife and adapted to conform to its movements in the slot, for the purposes described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ALBERT F. A. KING.

Witnesses:

L. M. BROOKE, BALTUS DE Lose. 

